Chapter 799 Conviction (6)
Seeing how coldly Shen Dongling treated her biological father, Shen Miao didn't think Shen Dongling would have any feelings for her.
Guyu also babbled, "I don't know what she's thinking. Now that she's in jail, I'm afraid she can't do anything else."
"Don't worry, as long as I don't go, nothing will go wrong." Shen Miao comforted them: "If she wants to ask me for help, I can't do it, and it's useless to go. If she wants to drag me into it, I won't see her at all, so I can't do anything about it."
Jingzhe nodded repeatedly: "That's right, it's right not to go."
Shen Miao lowered her eyes, but there was one thing that puzzled her. The Crown Prince and Wang Bi were naturally imprisoned because of the Huangfu Hao incident, but the decision of Emperor Wenhui to convict them spread so quickly. In addition to the constant urging from the Emperor of Qin, it was probably related to the news of the illegal salt trade.
Emperor Wenhui could not tolerate anyone seeking wealth under his nose, even if it was his own son. The Qin emperor's pressure and Emperor Wenhui's anger led to such a quick decision.
But...how did the news of the illegal salt get out?
Was it Xie Jingxing who did this? She held her chin in her hand and thought hard.
…
In the palace, outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
The queen had been kneeling in the yard for a whole day.
She had been kneeling since dawn, and the servants' attempts to persuade her were futile. It was already afternoon, and the winter was cold, with the ground frozen. Kneeling all day without a cushion would easily chill her knees, and she was afraid they would become stiff. The sun was shining, and even though the empress was normally fine, she was sweating profusely. She gritted her teeth, knelt silently, and looked on, as if she were about to collapse.
The palace maid beside her advised, "Your Majesty, you should go back first. His Majesty is probably busy today. There's no need for you to hurt yourself. It's not good to catch a cold in this cold weather."
"I will kneel," the Queen said firmly, "until Your Majesty changes his mind."
When the eunuch relayed the Empress' words to Emperor Wenhui in his study, he flew into a rage and shouted, "Make her kneel! Make her kneel! If you want me to change my mind, give up on that idea!"
Ever since she learned that the document of the prince's conviction had come out, the empress wanted to meet Emperor Wenhui in person to plead for mercy, but Emperor Wenhui refused to even see her. The empress was worried about the prince, but she had no choice but to kneel in the courtyard outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, thinking that if she knelt for too long, Emperor Wenhui would eventually let her in out of respect.
The Empress knew the Crown Prince had made a grave mistake. If it was the previous incident with Huangfu Hao, anyone with a discerning eye could see that something was fishy, and Emperor Wenhui had therefore been protective of his son. However, the incident with the Wang family's illegal salt trade had worn away the last vestiges of guilt in Emperor Wenhui's heart. He was already furious and disgusted with the Crown Prince, so how could he listen to the Empress's advice?
The Queen was helpless. She had been married to Emperor Wenhui for so many years and she knew exactly what he was thinking. However, the Crown Prince was her only son. For this only son, she was willing to kneel for the rest of her life. What was one day?
Just as they were at a stalemate, they heard a soft laugh from behind. Someone came over seductively, wearing a bright pink jacket and skirt with gold threads. Her clothes were bright and she looked even more glorious. She looked at the queen and said, "Sister, why are you kneeling here? You scared me so much. I thought you were performing such a solemn ceremony with me. Don't make such jokes in the future."
The Queen gritted her teeth and looked at her with hatred. This person was none other than Concubine Xu. To be honest, how could the news of the Crown Prince's illegal salt trading suddenly come to light? The Queen suspected that Prince Zhou and Prince Jing were closely involved. After all, with the Crown Prince's death, the two brothers would have one less strong enemy.
It was just that she had no evidence at the moment, so she couldn't say anything. But Concubine Xu had the ability to add fuel to the fire.
Concubine Xu smiled charmingly and asked, "Sister, why don't you go in? Have you done something wrong and are kneeling down to ask for forgiveness from His Majesty? How about I go in and plead for you?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com